Fast labors that may end up being UC

[maciascl]

I am planning a midwife attended homebirth, but I have very fast labors (2 1/2 hous from 1st ctx w/ DS2) & my midwife will be 1 hour away, so I want to be prepared for a UC delivery. I am not that worried about the labor part, mostly just the afterbirth stuff. I did bleed a lot after DS2 was born, but not to the point of passing out or anything, so that is a concern. Also I want to be prepared with what to look for in the baby right after birth. Anyone have books or other resources they can recommend for this? Thanks!

[corrio]

I have had 2 very fast labours both times ending up with a uc, the first time the midwife missed the birth and then the second time it was a planned hospital birth, I had the baby in my parents bathroom..

I know from experience if the baby is screaming thats a great sign, if not watch for colour tone in the baby and a pulseing umbilicord.

With my first uc I had a placental abruption, so I was bleeding alot, I was able to make it to the hospital and didn't need a blood transfusion, I think what made everyone scared is that I fainted.. A sign that we needed to head to the hospital asap..

I'm sure that there will be more posts.. This is just what i have gone though..

I'm currently 12 weeks pg and I'm kinda stuck on the birth issue as well

[Carolyn R]

I had this concern too, and if you're planning on having a midwife attend (even if she misses the birth) the advice would probably apply.

Our midwife said most babies who arrive that quickly are very healthy and hardy. She said the biggest thing is to keep baby warm...that often in the shock and surprise many parents forget to put a big dry blanket or towel around mom and babe. She also said not to mess with cord cutting or placenta delivery if she was on her way...she would just take care of it when she got there.

Best of luck!

[mommyfied]

I had a UC last time because my labor was 2.5 hrs from the first contraction to the birth. I wasn't prepared but was cool... DH freaked out although I didn't realize it at the time. My baby was purple (pinkish-purple) and she didn't cry much, but it turns out that was normal too. Not all babies are born pink and crying. I had her wrapped up and cuddled against my belly. If I do it again, I'll have the little hat ready to keep its head warm. The midwife arrived maybe 10-15 min after. Luckily I hardly bled at all, but that's obviously something to consider.

I think someone shared an emergency childbirth PDF but it's on my other computer. Wait, I just ran a search and I think this is it:
http://www.umbrellanoize.com/stuff/E...Childbirth.pdf
I found it in this thread that you may also find helpful:
http://mothering.com/discussions/sho....php?t=1130508

One thing is that after crowning, the baby will kind of corkscrew its way out... you don't have to pull or turn it. Just wait. I remember yelling at DH to get her out but the next second she twisted her way out on her own.

Also, I thought I needed to suction her nose and had DH running everywhere trying to find the bulb. (Um, maybe have the supplies ready - LOL - ours were ready but not nearby where DH could find them!) It turns out she didn't need it anyway and I hear they don't usually need to be suctioned after all.

Like PP said, if they come fast, it's because everything is just fine and complications are rare!

[saffrongirl]

We "accidentally" had a UC in September. My first labor was 18 hours so when I went into labor with my second dd, I thought I had awhile. We had planned a homebirth and did call the MW but she was at another birth and we thought we had awhile. When I felt the pressure and burning, I knew she was coming much quicker than my first had. My body pushed her out in three pushes. I mean I could not have stopped the pushing if someone had offered me a million dollars. She was born in five hours from start to finish (LOTS of prodromal though). Anyway, she came out screaming and that was really reassuring. When her head came out, I told dp and my mom to check for cord around her neck. Otherwise, we just supported her head (I was half in the water on my knees) and she birthed herself. She continued screaming and we rubbed her with warm towels. I stayed in the water with her and waited to birth placenta and cut cord until the MW got there an hour later. She said that was perfectly fine. I do believe that if the baby is coming that fast, things are usually fine and the baby is ready to be out!

Good luck and blessings on your birth!

[lunita1]

A local homebirth midwife regularly offers a class on what to do if the baby arrives before she gets there. She covers a pretty big geographical area, and while she doesn't plan on missing births it happens and the class helps her to have prepared families. Things go much more smoothly if parents don't panic and unnecessarily call 911.

I'm actually planning a hospital birth, but I've talked to her about attending the class since my last labor was 2 hours long and the hospital is a good 45 minutes away. Last time, we made it to the hospital less than 15 minutes before dd was born (that's also the reason I'm lurking here -- it's likely I'll have an unplanned UC.) I have her hand-outs from the class, and it is similar to what others have posted -- if the midwife is on the way, you don't need to worry about cord cutting or what happens after. You can usually keep in contact with her as she drives to you, and she'll help talk you through anything that might arise (and could advise about if you need to call 911, if something comes up and she's still far away.)

For my last two babies, I've had an "emergency car birth kit" in the car, though if anyone had looked at it they might not have recognized it as such. I had a vinyl tablecloth to put under me, towels, a warm blanket, a baby hat, a big bowl (to catch the placenta if that came before paramedics arrived in the case of a highway birth), a roll of paper towels and a trash bag. My goals were to contain the mess and keep baby warm if she happened to come too quickly to make it to the hospital. I also had little handwritten cue cards for dh about what to do in the most common emergency situations -- I did stuck shoulders (not likely with a quick birth), baby not breathing/pinking up right away, and excess bleeding, I think? I didn't bother with anything related to cord cutting or clamping, since we'd be on the way to the hospital.

[Missie]

www.unhinderedliving.com/variations.html is a good place to look for things you do not hear about often (or only hear negative things about).

Having fast labors is part of what led me to choose UC for the last 4 kids. My first 2 were hospital births and I had all of 30 minutes for each to get in the place, get in a room, and push lol

I suggest you keep towels and blankets handy, something waterproof on the bed and if you have the baby before your midwife gets there, spend the rest of the time laying with and feeding your baby in your comfy bed under your favorite blanket and taking a nap. Have someone make you a nice cup of tea or a snack for after too. Nothing to concern yourself with about the cord or placenta, those will take care of themselves in their own time.